European Championship

European Championship
"European Championships" logo from the UK version; the German version uses the standard logo.
Series	Extreme 2 German Robot Wars
Winner(s)	Tornado
First Broadcast	7 February 2003 (UK Series) 2 November 2002 (German Series)
Original channel	BBC Choice (UK Series) RTL II (German Series)
Preceded by	Commonwealth Carnage (UK Series) UK vs Germany (German Series)
Succeeded by	Heat A of the Seventh Wars (UK Series) None (last episode broadcast) (German Series)

"International feuds are fuelled and continental differences exposed in our quest to crown the European Heavyweight Champion."

— Official announcement for the European Championship from the Robot Wars Forum

The European Championship (titled onscreen as the European Championships) was a competition featuring robots from across Europe that took place during the second series of Robot Wars Extreme. It was broadcast as the final episode of Extreme Series 2 and was originally shown on BBC Choice on 7 February 2003, but the series was dropped by the BBC before it could be shown on BBC Two.

The UK version was initially repeated by the Sci Fi Channel during the mid-2000s, with one confirmed airing on 15 October 2005 as part of a double bill with the Commonwealth Carnage. It was later repeated by Dave on 22 January 2011 as part of their Extreme 2 repeat run. The European Championship was also localised for and broadcast as the final episode of German Robot Wars, airing on 2 November 2002 on RTL II.

Differences between versions

The European Championship was one of three tournaments to be contested in multiple versions of Robot Wars. In the UK version, Craig Charles and Philippa Forrester presented, with Jonathan Pearce providing the commentary. In the German version, Jürgen Törkott was the presenter and pit reporter, interviewing all the teams and translating between English and German for the non-German-speakers, with Volker Wolf providing the commentary.

The line-up shown below is for the UK version of the competition. In the German version, the fights were aired in a different order, which was as follows: Black Hole vs Zeus, Philipper 2 vs Rawbot, Tornado vs Snake Bite, Razer vs PulverizeR. The semi-final line-ups were also swapped around.

Competing robots

The championship featured eight robots, representing seven different European countries. The national champions of the UK, the Netherlands and Germany all took part, as well as the reigning World Champion, Belgian Champion and representatives from Italy, Switzerland and Sweden. The eight robots were paired off and competed in a straight knock-out tournament until the European Champion was decided.

The following statistics board use their details from the English version of the episode.

	PulverizeR (Dutch Champion)
	Weight	100kg
	Dimensions	0.75 x 1.03 x 0.58m
	Power	Electric motors
	Weapons	Vertical spinning disc
	Strengths	Heavily armoured
	Weaknesses	Reliability
From: Molenwaard, the Netherlands
Team Members: Mischa de Graaf, Ruud van Buren & Nico Kos

	Razer (World Champion)
	Weight	91.5kg
	Dimensions	1.14m x 0.60m x 0.41m
	Power	Electric motors
	Weapons	Hydraulic crusher
	Strengths	2x World Champion
	Weaknesses	Reliability
From: Bournemouth, United Kingdom
Team Members: Ian Lewis, Simon Scott & Vincent Blood

	Zeus
	Weight	95kg
	Dimensions	0.79m x 0.84m x 0.78m
	Power	Electric Motors
	Weapons	Flipper
	Strengths	Innovative weaponry
	Weaknesses	First time competitors
From: Bogliasco, Italy
Team Members: Massimiliano Calvani & Gherardo Alberti

	Black Hole (German Champion)
	Weight	100kg
	Dimensions	0.78m x 0.70m x 0.36m
	Power	Electric motors
	Weapons	Rotating blades
	Strengths	Destructive weaponry
	Weaknesses	None!
From: Altomünster, Germany
Team Members: Jorg Marschall, Marcus Marschall & Manfred Rachner

	Tornado (UK Champion)
	Weight	99kg
	Dimensions	0.85 x 0.75 x 0.25m
	Power	Electric motors
	Weapons	Spinning disc & spike
	Strengths	Reigning UK Champion
	Weaknesses	Limited weaponry
From: Sawtry, United Kingdom
Team Members: Andrew Marchant, David Gamble & Bryan Moss

	Snake Bite
	Weight	100kg
	Dimensions	1.18 x 0.70 x 0.78m
	Power	Electric motors
	Weapons	Hydraulic claw
	Strengths	Good driving skill
	Weaknesses	Unreliable weaponry
From: Wohlen, Switzerland
Team Members: Paul Koch, Marco Streich & Marcel Schneebeli

	Philipper 2 (Belgian Champion)
	Weight	99.7kg
	Dimensions	1.40m x 0.72m x 0.50m
	Power	Electric motors
	Weapons	Flipper & crusher
	Strengths	Experienced
	Weaknesses	Speed
From: Zeebrugge, Belgium
Team Members: Philippe Poppe & Nancy Poppe

	Rawbot
	Weight	100kg
	Dimensions	1.22m x 0.98 x 0.25m
	Power	Electric motors
	Weapons	Spikes and drill
	Strengths	Good traction
	Weaknesses	First time competitors
From: Sävedalen, Sweden
Team Members: Anders Sandberg, Tomas Ramdal & Stefan Bergstrom

Round 1

Razer (UK) vs PulverizeR (NED)

The letter from PulverizeR's team

Philippa Forrester: "Razer is sleeping. But are they doing anything to awaken the passion?"

Vinnie Blood: "Passion? Funny you should mention that, we think that PulverizeR are actually sending us love letters at the moment..."

— Team Razer introduce their "love letter"

Prior to the match, Mischa de Graaf danced with Philippa Forrester, who stood on the team's wooden shoes, while Team Razer read a letter that PulverizeR's team had sent, reading "We're gonna cream your crank!!! With love, PulverizeR".

Razer grips hold of PulverizeR

Razer forced PulverizeR on the back foot, pushing it into the Disc of Doom release, but found it hard to grab hold of its opponent due to its shape, and PulverizeR was able to attack Razer with its spinning disc. PulverizeR then slammed into the arena wall, which saw it attacked by Growler, with Razer finally able to grab hold of it, where it pierced through its armour with ease.

"The Razer beak and the Growler jaw, and PulverizeR in between the two. Talk about a rock and a hard place."

— Jonathan Pearce

Growler pulled PulverizeR from Razer's grip and separated the two machines, but Razer quickly grabbed hold of PulverizeR again and pushed it into the pit release button. PulverizeR managed to wriggle itself loose and moved away, but Razer continued to pursue its opponent.

"PulverizeR caught there, once again. Doing very, very, very well to survive, I think, with Razer."

— Jonathan Pearce

PulverizeR drives into the pit

Razer grabbed hold of PulverizeR again, but only temporarily. After slamming into Refbot, PulverizeR finally made an impression on the battle itself by scoring a hit on Razer's beak, but due to damage sustained to its transmitter, it was still not fully in control, and drove into the open pit, awarding the win to the World Champion over the Dutch Champion.

Winner: Razer

Black Hole (GER) vs Zeus (ITA)

Zeus is thrusted over by Black Hole

The two robots immediately engaged and Zeus attempted to flip Black Hole, but the end part of its flipper flew off the machine. Black Hole then launched an attack with its spinning discs and the impact sent Zeus flying across the arena and it landed upside-down.

"Zeus in big trouble here. Black Hole looks formidable!"

— Jonathan Pearce

Black Hole throws Zeus

Black Hole continued to punish Zeus, which was trying in vain to self-right. Eventually, one of Black Hole's attacks righted Zeus, but it had become immobilised, so Black Hole continued its barrage of attacks, sending Zeus over and back onto its wheels repeatedly.

Mr Psycho holds the beaten Zeus

"This is some weapon they've got, you know. Black Hole could be a very strong contender for this euro title."

— Jonathan Pearce

Eventually, Zeus was left for dead in the CPZ, where Mr. Psycho flattened down with its hammer. Dead Metal tried to attack Zeus with its circular saw, but was unable to leave an impression on Zeus' base. Finally, Zeus was counted out by Refbot and pitted by Mr. Psycho.

"Pasta la vista, baby! You're out!"

— Jonathan Pearce following Zeus' demise

Winner: Black Hole

Snake Bite (SUI) vs Tornado (UK)

Tornado pushes Snake Bite towards the CPZ

Tornado went into this battle using its static scoop and immediately pursued Snake Bite, but pushed it into an empty CPZ, which allowed it to move away. Tornado continued to harass the Swiss robot though, and slammed it into the arena wall before forcing it into the CPZ once more, which Dead Metal had now occupied. Snake Bite managed to escape, but not before Dead Metal had caused sparks on more than one occasion. Tornado kept up the pressure by pushing Snake Bite across the arena floor and into Mr. Psycho's CPZ.

"Tornado and the House Robots making Swiss cheese out of Snake Bite."

— Jonathan Pearce

The immobile Snake Bite is attacked by Dead Metal

Snake Bite is pitted by Tornado

Snake Bite narrowly dodged the House Robot's hammer, but then suddenly stopped moving after driving over a steam vent and was attacked by both House Robots together. Snake Bite was counted out by Refbot and was pitted by Tornado directly afterwards. While Snake Bite was pitted, Mr. Psycho brought down its hammer to crumple the back end of Snake Bite, which Andrew Marchant visibly called 'unfair'.

"It wasn't an alpine pass, but the pit will do!"

— Jonathan Pearce

Winner: Tornado

Philipper 2 (BEL) vs Rawbot (SWE)

Philippa Forrester: "Did you name it after me?"

Philippe Poppe: "No."

Philippa Forrester: "Oh. That concludes that interview"

— Pre-match interview with Philipper 2's team

Philipper 2 flips Rawbot

Philipper 2 traps Rawbot against the angle grinders

Rawbot immediately slammed into Philipper 2, but was lifted into the air by the Belgian robot's flipper. The two robots engaged again, where another lift from Philipper 2 saw both robots locked together, balancing on one side each. After spinning around in circles, the two robots separated, before Rawbot was pushed slowly into the Disc of Doom's release tyre and flipped. Rawbot escaped and activated the pit release button.

"This is more a war of attrition - the others have been more wham-bam."

— Jonathan Pearce comments on the steady pace of the battle

Rawbot is almost pitted...

... but is flipped away from danger by Philipper 2

Rawbot then tried to lure Philipper 2 towards the pit by sitting right next to it, but was very nearly pushed into the pit as Philipper 2 attacked. Philipper 2 used its flipper at the last moment which threw Rawbot away from the pit and the Swedish machine made its escape.

"And perhaps Philippe and Nancy [Poppe] helped them out there, inadvertently. Now will they rue that?"

— Jonathan Pearce as Philipper 2 initially fails to finish Rawbot off

Philipper 2 uses its crusher to achieve a pitting

Philipper 2 took chase and caught Rawbot, grabbing hold of it with its crushing pincer, then carried it towards the pit and dropped it in, achieving the pitting on the second try, awarding the win to Belgium.

"The Swedes, turned into cabbages! The Belgians, and Philipper 2, go sprouting forth!"

— Craig Charles

Winner: Philipper 2

Round 2

Black Hole (GER) vs Philipper 2 (BEL)

Philippa Forrester: "What are you going to do to that robot, run away?"

Philippe Poppe: "No no no no, if it has to be done, it has to be done quick!"

— An apprehensive Philipper team on their tactics

Philipper 2 takes early damage from Black Hole

Black Hole pursues Philipper 2

Black Hole immediately attacked the side of Philipper 2 with its spinning discs, causing visible damage to the Belgian machine. Philipper 2 tried to respond and gave chase to Black Hole, but was caught side on again and was thrown aside by the German machine. Black Hole continued to cause damage, chewing away at the rear end of Philipper 2, which then ran away and activated the pit release button.

"Black Hole, here, very much on top. Causing damage to Philippe and Nancy Poppe's machine."

— Jonathan Pearce

Philipper 2 is attacked by Shunt

Philipper 2 flips Black Hole over

The action drifted towards the CPZ, where Shunt scored a hit on Philipper 2 with the axe, before Philipper 2 was finally able to assert itself on the battle by flipping Black Hole over. The invertible Black Hole carried on and both robots edged close to the pit, before moving away.

"That's a good flip by the fish-like Philipper!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Philipper 2 fights back

Black Hole grinds into Philipper 2

Philipper 2 pulls off the upset

Black Hole continued to attack the sides of Philipper 2, but the Belgian machine was able to withstand the damage, with only small chips of armour being damaged, as Black Hole's discs were now spinning in the wrong direction. Black Hole then turned onto Philipper 2's front, which saw it lifted aside by the flipper. Philipper 2 then met Black Hole head-on and was able to use its superior traction to push Black Hole into the Pit of Oblivion.

"Chance! Chance! Upset!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Black Hole is pitted

Winner: Philipper 2

Razer (UK) vs Tornado (UK)

Tornado backs Razer into the CPZ

Razer hoists Tornado up

Razer immediately tried to attack Tornado, but Tornado was initially able to escape. Razer continued to try to get purchase on Tornado's frame, but was slammed back into Sgt. Bash's CPZ. Razer moved away from danger though, and then used its new hook to grab hold of Tornado by the frame, and raised it up into the air.

"That's how you deal with the anti-crush web. You get a grip and lift it up."

— Jonathan Pearce

Razer starts smoking

Razer then reversed into the pit release button and tried to carry Tornado towards the pit, but the motors burnt out at that point and it was unable to finish Tornado off.

"Look at the smoke from Razer; trying to get traction on the arena floor. Are they burning themselves out though?"

— Jonathan Pearce

Tornado refuses to fit in the pit

Razer fought hard to carry Tornado the small distance to the pit, but once again Tornado was too big to fit and cease was called. The judges gave the win to Razer, but Simon Scott and Vincent Blood of Razer clearly disagreed with the decision and later decided to give the victory to Tornado as they felt that their robot had been immobilised for more than 30 seconds.

"Well, basically, we felt that during that battle, the judges got it correct in the fact that we did control very large portions of the fight. The lifter worked very effectively on Razer - we were very happy with that. However, our drive motors burnt out, and we felt that we were immobile, or practically immobile for well over the thirty seconds, and we should've been counted out. And we don't feel we deserve to be in the final, and therefore we're passing it over to Tornado to be the UK team that goes into the European Championship final as the representative."

— Vincent Blood, the nominated Razer spokesperson delivers the decision to Philippa Forrester and Team Tornado

Winner: Tornado (victory later given to Tornado)

Final

Tornado (UK) vs Philipper 2 (BEL)

Tornado proves assertive quickly

Tornado continues to push Philipper 2 around

Tornado immediately slammed into the side of Philipper 2, but was unable to push it due to the Belgian robot's impressive amount of traction. Tornado eventually managed to get some purchase on the arena floor and pushed Philipper 2 into the CPZ and then into an angle grinder. Philipper 2 tried to get into a position to push Tornado, but the UK machine was too quick and continued to slam into its opponent.

"Tornado using that side slam to great effect."

— Jonathan Pearce as Tornado gives Philipper 2 no room to breathe

Philipper 2 resists Tornado beside the pit

Philipper 2 then got wedged in on the flame pit, with Refbot's help needed to free it. Tornado activated the pit release button and tried to push Philipper 2 towards danger, but Philipper 2 stood firm and refused to be budged. Tornado repositioned to push Philipper 2 side on and nearly forced its opponent into the pit but Philipper 2 used its incredible traction to back away at the last.

"Philipper 2; desperate, desperate defences measures here."

— Jonathan Pearce

Tornado disposes of Philipper 2 to take the title

Tornado continued to attack though, and managed to tear off one of Philipper 2's rear panels. Tornado backed away, as Philipper 2 and Sergeant Bash tussled, before Philipper 2 edged next to the pit in an attempt to lure Tornado, before it got too close to the edge and Tornado was finally able to push it into the Pit of Oblivion.

"And they've got it, Tornado are the European champions. Philipper 2, always up against it and finally beaten."

— Jonathan Pearce

European Champion: Tornado

Craig Charles: "Light the fires"

Philippa Forrester: "Scream the applause"

Craig Charles: "We've got a European champion"

Both: "On Robot Wars!"

— Craig and Philippa's sign-off

The European Championship winners hold their prize

Trivia

• This episode, like the Commonwealth Carnage, was originally intended to have 12 competitors.
• The European Championship was the final appearance of Philippa Forrester as pit reporter.
• This was the fifth and final time that Razer and Tornado fought, the rivalry standing at 2-2. Despite Razer being given the win, both Simon Scott and Vincent Blood elected to concede the match to Tornado, as they felt that the decision was wrong. This was also the second and final time that a judges' decision was overturned.
• The battle board showed the Dutch PulverizeR with an Irish flag behind it.
• The final was a grudge match from The Second World Championship where Tornado defeated the first incarnation of Philipper on a judges' decision. Team Tornado chose to use the same weapon as they did the first time.
• This episode was the final time that the Disc of Doom was used until it was removed in Series 7.